Accused Arsonist Pleads Not Guilty To 19 Counts Of Attempted Murder
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Robert Moore
Herald Staff
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A Harrodsburg man has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of attempted murder.
Ryan M. Tinney, 44, of Harrodsburg, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 7, on charges including 2nd degree arson and 19 counts of attempted murder.
Tinney was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 1, after first responders were dispatched to the Parkview Guesthouse on College Street at 8:30 p.m. for a possible fire.
According to a Harrodsburg Police Department Facebook post, the fire inside one of the apartments was quickly extinguished soon after first responders arrived. No injuries were reported, the HPD said.
According to the uniform citation filed by Patrolman Dustin Mical of the HPD, firefighters found a fire starter substance “consistent with napalm” covering the room, as well as light source, a lighter, which Mical called an incendiary device “underneath clothing that would catch fire quickly.” They also found a broken light bulb in the trash with the light source’s wiring on the ceiling “purposefully exposed,” according to the uniform citation.
Mical also found a fire starter bottle on a shelf in the apartment.
First responders also found a burning box that was “filled with accelerants” on the grass, according to the uniform citation.
Police were advised by personnel from the Harrodsburg Fire Department that the room had been prepared in a manner “consistent with arson” and that it could have caught fire quickly, “causing damage to the whole building that consists of 19 apartment rooms,” according to the uniform citation.
Two witnesses—including the initial caller—told police that a man living in apartment 5 had run out of his room with a box in flames, heading for the front door.
The suspect, subsequently identified as Tinney, was located at a nearby fast food restaurant and placed under arrest.
According to the uniform citation, Tinney refused to talk to police unless a lawyer was present. On multiple occasions, Tinney asked if the room had caught on fire and if anyone had been hurt.
Tinney has been assigned to a public defender and is scheduled to return to court on Thursday, Oct. 16, according to the Mercer County Circuit Clerk’s office. He is being held on a $100,000 bond at the Jessamine County Detention Center.
Tinney has also pleaded not guilty to charges of 2nd degree possession of a hallucinogen and possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges date back to August. He is scheduled to return to court for those charges on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m., according to court documents.
HPD Patrolman Mical is the arresting officer. Assisting agencies include the Harrodsburg Fire Department and the Bluegrass 911 Communications.
